Written by: Bailey Hemphill
Young Hero: Serenity Jankowski
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erenity Jankowski, 13, attends Beveridge Magnet School in the Omaha Public Schools district. Although she is just like other girls her age, her father, Nick, believes Serenity has seen many hardships in life for only being 13 years old.
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“Her mom has mental health issues, which made [Serenity] choose to go on in life without any contact with her,” Nick says. “She loves her mom but feels she can’t deal with the problems her mom has caused in her life.” Serenity has two sisters and two brothers, most of whom were separated into foster care nearly seven years ago due to the issues in their family. Her oldest sister lives in Texas, and they talk on the phone; her other sister lives with their mom, so she sees her when she can; her oldest brother is in prison, so she has no contact with him; and her younger brother lives with her and her father. While Nick has raised both Serenity and her younger brother since receiving custody of them, he says that Serenity tries to help out with her brother as much as possible and occasionally tries to mother him. For a few years, Serenity went to counseling to talk about all of these difficult events in her life, but she eventually decided, along with her counselor, that she no longer needed counseling. “She is a very strong-willed and smart girl. She knows what she wants in life,” adds Nick. “[Serenity] has done really well with all that has gone on in her life. She is a straight-A student and always makes the honor role. She loves the arts and had a leading role in a play at her school…She loves to help people and kids when she can. She has a very good soul.” Nick says his daughter inspires him because she has shown him that any struggle can be overcome. “She is still a great kid, student, sister, daughter, and role model throughout all of the adversities in her life. I just want her to know how special she is and how much she is loved by me and our family.”
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Send nominations to Bailey@OmahaPublications.com. • readonlinenow.com March 2013 • • • •
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